#I probably won't use those ideas for SL because I honestly have too many different ways I could change the episode

[zoe-oneesama]

Congratulations on finishing Reverser!! Super excited to see Marc’s full header outfit when that episode comes out! Next on the docket is Party Crasher, right? Whenever you have the time after your fresh rewatch of the episode, what are your thoughts and opinions on Wayhem, his akuma, and Party Crasher’s plot?

Ughhh, I watched it once quickly because this was definitely a Temporary Hero episode (I watched all the episodes I knew for sure would have a temp hero in since I needed to figure out what power would be needed) and it was hard to watch. I just kept getting mad with the civilian plot:

Wayhem is...fine? In THIS episode. It's kind of easy to completely separate him from "Gorizilla" so he's fine in this episode alone (I can't personally get over how obsessive he was in "Gorizilla" but at least he apologized for it? I guess?? Well Adrien seems cool with it at least.)

This is one of the only episodes where the "misunderstanding" that creates the akuma actually feels like a genuine misunderstanding and miscommunication rather than one person jumping to crazy conclusions and then getting mad when they're incorrect (*cough* "Lady Wifi" *cough* "Reverser" *cough*)

His akuma design is fun and camp so I actually like it, but I'm very confused by his powers since he seems to have...many? Like, okay, he can "predict" his opponents movements and envisions it like a dance floor... AND he absorbs people and things into his disco hands by touching them... buuut he can ALSO zap you from a distance... but then he ALSO makes a helicopter?? Also he can apparently heal himself after King Monkey busts everyone out of his disco prison...

I was with you for those first three things but you lost me at HELICOPTER.

And then there's...the plot.

I had to watch this episode in halves because I was getting to mad. At Nino. It's just so weird that this show had one of it's main characters make a universally disliked decision: Breaking a Promise. Isn't that, like, Kid's Show 101, to teach you that you're supposed to keep your word? So why'd they make Nino not only go back on his promise to help Mylene and the girls, but rope other people into it too?? And then for Tikki to be shocked and horrified that Marinette lied and frame that as being wrong when Nino and the boys did the exact same thing! So it's only a big deal when Marinette does it, got it. And I HATE that the conclusion was "well it could've gone smoother but iT wAs fOr AdRiEn sO iT'S cOoL!"

Neither of you, none of you, should've broken your promise. THAT should've been the conclusion. All of them should've spent the end of the episode apologizing to the tree planting group and getting to work.

It's just a weird episode for so many reasons. For one, the girls either somehow didn't catch on to the obvious that aLL the boys were playing hooky on them or they just didn't care, except for Marinette. So even though we're supposed to think it's wrong of Marinette to dip out to prove the boys are lying, it doesn't seem to matter cuz clearly the girls aren't bothered! Breaking promises? Going back on your word? Leaving your friends hanging? Apparently it's not THAT big a deal, so who CARES if the boys or Marinette flake on purpose?

For another thing, I get that we have a limit on teenage boy models to fill this house party with, but I don't think the solution was EVERY GROWN ADULT MAN IN PARIS to crash a MIDDLE SCHOOLER'S HOUSE PARTY!

Roger comes for a "noise complaint" and stays for the foosball?

Astruc and Vincent/Guiseppe/Photographer dude come for a casting call for Adrien at his house? (Look, if the director and his casting photographer are coming to your house, skip the formalities, you already have the gig, let's be real, and also they came over when Adrien's guardians are out of the house, that's creepy).

And then Jagged Stone jumps through his window from his helicopter because he heard the music they were using???

None of these don't feel weird and kinda creepy, like you WEREN'T INVITED, say your piece and GET OUT! Or better yet DON'T COME! No, Nino, stop thinking this is cool, this is FREAKING WEIRD, stop teaching Adrien weird shit!

Put that into perspective for sec: Nino thinks Adrien would have a better time at a Dude's Only House Party (boring) with Randos then just letting his Girl Friends join them.

If they wanted this Boys vs Girls thing, they should've gone full in. Have the girls see through the excuses and let them be pissed. Let them want to confront the boys, but oh? Nino told the Bodyguard to specifically not let them in? What's that, music? Are they...they're having a PARTY?! They're having a PARTY instead of helping them PLANT TREES like they PROMISED AND they're DELIBERATELY EXCLUDING THE GIRLS FROM SAID PARTY?!

Oh this means War.

So make the shenangians about the girls trying and failing (or succeeding?) into getting into the party in increasingly ridiculous ways or something. Like, oh, THEY could call the police on the noise complaint and then get dumbstruck when Roger joins the party. Or have them notice that Adrien's fencing instructor and the Director are getting in so they think the party will be stopped by Adren's obligations and then getting ticked when that doesn't slow them down.

Dress up as Pizza Guys, Delivery Men, Classmates, ANYTHING to get in! Have them notice Wayhem and try to drag him in but because they've tried so many times THAT'S why the bodyguard doesn't let him in - because he's with the girls.

Just... you wanted this dumb Boys Club vs Girls thing, so commit you cowards, give me a WAR! I don't care for those kinds of dumb gender war episodes but at least don't half ass it if you're gonna do it!

As for the Boy Heroes Team thing, it feels wrong to give them a hero episode of their own when THEY are the bad guys in the Civilian Plot and to not have an equivalent Girl Heroes Team episode (instead they get a Girl AKUMAS episode, twice!). The idea is cool and I would've liked to see more squad episodes that weren't framed as "I-need-five-heroes-to-do-what-just-Chat-Noir-can-do" and were actually about teamwork, but our options are the Heroes Day Season 2 finale where they fell apart, or "Party Crasher".

Sigh.

At the end of day, the boys just look like jerks for ditching the girls, but the girls don't even care, so there's not even enough drive for Marinette to involve herself, and then the Marinette Sneaking In shenanigans aren't even fun, the randos showing up aren't fun (except Mr. Banana, he can stay), I guess Marinette and Nino (and the boys) punishment is cleaning up Adrien's room...? Like, good for Adrien that he doesn't get any backlash from his dad because it'd be wildly unfair for him to be the person who gets punished in this scenario, but nobody learned any lessons. It's just...

What was the point of all this?

At least I didn't have any complaints about Adrien for the most part.